The Poet's Funeral (Guy Mallon Mysteries, 1) - Hardcover

Daniel, John M

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159058144X ISBN 13: 9781590581445

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2005

Synopsis

"Daniel's sharp, sardonic wit and insider's view of book industry foibles are sure to make this bibliomystery a hit."―Publishers Weekly STARRED review

At the annual convention of the American Booksellers Association Convention, everything goes wrong. Julia Child's cooking demonstration in the Random House aisle blows up and catches fire. A top New York editor catches a pie in the face. Invitations to the most exclusive publisher's party are stolen and all the wrong people show up. Worse, Heidi Yamada, the world-famous poet, is found dead, spread over the late Elvis Presley's king-sized bed. It's all caught on film by a busy photographer from Publishers Weekly, a woman soon kidnapped. When the Las Vegas Police shrug their shoulders, Guy Mallon, Heidi's first publisher (and a discarded lover) wonders what to do.

Poor Guy. He's a bookman from Santa Barbara who, despite Ross Macdonald and Sue Grafton, never felt inspired to be a sleuth, but he feels he owes it to Heidi. Besides, catching her killer may be his only chance to leave Las Vegas alive....

The Poet's Funeral is a romp rich with poetry, publishing, book collecting, and literary gossip. Its cast ranges from smalltime players to the famous Rock Bottom Remaiders. It's a story of ego, love, art, and murder during four hot days at the 1990 ABA.

About this title

Reviews

Starred Review. Daniel (Play Melancholy Baby) turns the 1990 Las Vegas ABA convention (now known as BEA) into a murder site in this delicious sendup of the book trade. The meteoric rise of beautiful poet Heidi Yamada begins with the conversion of Guy Mallon, Santa Barbara bookstore owner, into Guy Mallon, publisher. Clever, blatant and aggressive self-promotion wins Heidi a critic here and an agent there. Add a major publishing house and a star is born. But instead of receiving a major literary award, Heidi winds up dead at the ABA ("of an apparent drug overdose," according to Publishers Weekly). In their eulogies, her mentor, her agent, her various publishers and the critic who first hailed her, among others, reveal the Heidi they knew. Each adds a piece of the puzzle that Mallon will eventually decipher. The author lampoons everything from the overstuffed "collector's editions" to the self-importance of critics and the self-interest of publishers and agents as he parades a growing list of suspects in Heidi's demise. Daniel's sharp, sardonic wit and insider's view of book industry foibles are sure to make this bibliomystery a hit. (May 9)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The annual trade show of the American Booksellers Association draws a colorful crowd--bookpeople who work the convention floor by day and attend myriad parties by night. Though some may find Daniel's wacky characters over the top, previous attendees of the ABA (now Book Expo) show will chuckle in recognition. In fact, Daniel, a publisher himself, peppers his story with numerous references to real-life authors and publishers, and sets the action at the real-life 1990 ABA convention in Las Vegas. Publisher Guy Mallon narrates the story, which chronicles the life and untimely death of poet Heidi Yamada, whose talent for manipulating men far eclipsed her writing skill. Part of the story is set in the present, and focuses on Guy's investigation into Heidi's death--which the police are calling an accidental drug overdose. Daniel ladles plenty of tasty publishing tidbits into his narrative stew but never at the expense of the suspenseful plot. An affectionate look at the publishing industry from one who clearly knows that world. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 159058144X
• ISBN 13: 9781590581445
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 257